Proposed 2017 Specifications; Bigeye Tuna Catch and Allocation Limits for Pelagic Longline Fisheries in the U.S. Pacific Island Territories (RIN 0648-XF156)

NMFS proposes to specify a 2017 limit of 2,000 metric tons (mt) of longline-caught bigeye tuna for each U.S. Pacific territory (American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands). NMFS would allow each territory to allocate up to 1,000 mt of its bigeye tuna catch limit to U.S. longline fishing vessels identified in a valid specified fishing agreement. As an accountability measure, NMFS would monitor, attribute, and restrict (if necessary) catches of longline-caught bigeye tuna, including catches made under a specified fishing agreement. The proposed catch limits and accountability measures would support the long-term sustainability of U.S. Pacific Island fisheries. The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council recommended the catch and allocation limits at its October 2016 meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii. The proposed limits are identical to those that the Council recommended and NMFS implemented in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Proposed specifications and draft EA with 15-day public comment period: May 2017. Final action: June 2017.